Event allows Braelyn Blackbird to give back

David Gough/Courier Press/DGough@postmedia.com The Blackbird family drops the ceremonial puck at the Play for Brae event held at Wallaceburg Memorial Arena on Saturday, Dec. 8. The day-long event was a fundraiser for Ronald McDonald House and Cystic Fibrosis Canada.

Wallaceburg Memorial Arena was wall-to-wall purple on Saturday, to honour the wish of a local teenager. Wallaceburg Minor Hockey Association held an all-day fundraiser called Play for Brae, which honoured Braelyn Blackbird, who died in September after a struggle with Cystic Fibrosis. She was 19 years-old. The event raised $22,000 for Cystic Fibrosis Canada and Ronald McDonald House. The day featured games from every WMHA team and ran from 7 a.m. through to 10 p.m. The goal of the event was to raise awareness and charitable donations for both charities that have had a profound impact on the Blackbird family. The daughter of Cynthia and Luke Blackbird, Braelyn had four sisters. Cynthia Blackbird said the day was to give back and to bring the communities together to support those charities that are near and dear to her family. The event took a lot of volunteers and support. It featured donations, raffles and an auction. “We have big family, our extended hockey family helped out quite a bit. The community volunteers have helped out a lot. They host fundraisers throughout the year, they have for years. It’s nice to have everybody helping and helping us give back,” said Cynthia Blackbird. The Blackbird’s are a big hockey family. Braelyn’s sisters Jerzee and Ferrah played on Saturday, and her dad Luke and uncle Louie coached the Midget team. All three teams wore purple jerseys. Luke Blackbird said one of her daughter’s favourite things to do was watch the Montreal Canadiens play. “Hockey is pretty big in our family,” said Luke Blackbird, noting that there are so many people to thank for making the day and event possible. The Blackbirds admitted that the day was full of mixed emotions. “It’s overwhelming, but it’s awesome to see the support and everybody out having a good time,” Cynthia Blackbird said. Prior to her dying, Braelyn gave clear directions to her family. She wanted to give back to the Ronald McDonald House as she spent a lot of time at the Ronald McDonald House in Toronto. Her love of hockey wanted her to want to host a hockey tournament with proceeds going to the House. A close-knit family, Braelyn liked the fact she could stay close to her family with the Ronald McDonald House as she had hundreds of hospital visits over the years. Without knowing her wish, members of the WMHA reached out to host an event in memory of Braelyn with proceeds to Cystic Fibrosis Canada Braelyn was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis at a young age. She often had pneumonia, which required her to be hospitalized in London for two-three weeks, but she remained active in sports, including soccer and basketball. She also played hockey, but realized she would rather watch with her dad than play. As she reached high school age, going to school became a challenge, as her health declined and hospital visits became the norm. When she was 17 years-old she was a candidate for a double lung transplant, and moved away from her home on Walpole Island to Toronto. She had a double lung transplant in August of 2017, and in November of 2017 she returned home. Things were good, she could sing-out-loud, walk and work out. However, in February of this year her new lungs were in acute rejection. In the summer she was again thinking about being relisted for another double lung transplant. As the assessment process began Braelyn decided she didn’t want to do it again. She wasn’t giving up—she was tired. Tired of the medications, tired of not being herself and she just wanted to feel comfort. She wanted to be home with family and be home with her sisters. She took her last breath on September 7.